0001| HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 83 | 0002| 43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998 | 0003| INTRODUCED BY | 0004| RICK MIERA | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| A JOINT MEMORIAL | 0011| REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE | 0012| TO INCLUDE IN ITS WORK PLAN THE PREPARATION OF LEGISLATION TO | 0013| PROVIDE FOR PATIENT CHOICE IN HEALTH CARE. | 0014| | 0015| WHEREAS, it is a fundamental human right that people make | 0016| their own decisions regarding their health and medical | 0017| treatment; and | 0018| WHEREAS, health maintenance organizations and managed | 0019| care insurance providers are exercising more and more control | 0020| over individuals' health care without regard for those | 0021| individuals' rights or discretion; and | 0022| WHEREAS, despite scientific advances and the expansion | 0023| and enhancement in recent decades of health care alternatives | 0024| and improvements in care delivery, most insurers still choose | 0025| not to cover some treatments requested by patients or | - 1 - 0001| prescribed by their primary care physicians; | 0002| NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE | 0003| STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislative health and human | 0004| services committee be requested to prepare legislation to re- | 0005| establish control by patients of their health care by | 0006| providing for patient choice and integrative medicine that | 0007| makes conventional and unconventional medical care and health | 0008| maintenance equally available to all New Mexico citizens | 0009| regardless of type of insurance coverage or lack of insurance; | 0010| and | 0011| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative health and | 0012| human services committee submit its legislative | 0013| recommendations to the first session of the forty-fourth | 0014| legislature; and | 0015| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be | 0016| transmitted to members of the legislative health and human | 0017| services committee. | 0018|  |